Nanaimo Bars
- Total Time
- 30 minutes, plus 1½ hours’ chilling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
Advertisement
Ingredients
Yield:16 bars
- ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into pieces
- ¼cup/50 grams granulated sugar
- 1large egg
- 3tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2cups/235 grams graham cracker crumbs
- 1cup/85 grams unsweetened shredded coconut
- ½cup/50 grams finely chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans (or a mixture)
- ¼cup/60 grams unsalted butter (½ stick), at room temperature
- 3tablespoons heavy cream
- 2tablespoons custard powder, such as Bird’s
- 2cups/245 grams confectioners’ (icing) sugar
- 4ounces/115 grams semisweet chocolate, broken into ½-inch (1¼-centimeter) pieces
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)
For the Base
For the Buttercream
For the Chocolate Topping
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)
344 calories; 23 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 24 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 164 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Line an 8-by-8-inch (20-by-20-centimeter) metal baking pan with parchment, allowing parchment to overhang by about 2 inches (5 centimeters) on two sides.
- Step 2
Prepare the base: In a double boiler, or a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of boiling water, whisk butter with granulated sugar, egg, cocoa powder and vanilla until melted. Continue whisking until mixture thickens slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Step 3
Stir in crumbs, coconut and nuts until the mixture is well combined and resembles wet sand.
- Step 4
Transfer mixture to the parchment-lined pan and use your fingers to press it into an even layer. Transfer pan to the refrigerator to chill until firm, at least 15 minutes.
- Step 5
Meanwhile, prepare the buttercream: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add heavy cream and custard powder and mix until combined, scraping sides and bottom of the work bowl as needed. Add 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and mix on low until incorporated. Add remaining confectioners’ sugar and mix on low until combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl as needed, then mix on medium-high speed until smooth, light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Step 6
Remove pan from refrigerator. Dollop the buttercream on top of the base layer then gently spread it evenly on top using an offset spatula. Transfer pan to the refrigerator to chill until buttercream is set, about 30 minutes.
- Step 7
Prepare the topping: In a small, heavy saucepan or a double boiler, heat the chocolate and butter over low, stirring often, until melted and evenly combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Take pan from refrigerator and pour chocolate on top of buttercream layer. Working quickly and carefully, spread the chocolate evenly over the buttercream using an offset spatula. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using.
- Step 8
Return pan to refrigerator and chill until chocolate hardens, about 25 minutes.
- Step 9
To serve the bars: Lift excess parchment to remove Nanaimo square from the pan. Cut into 16 2-inch (5-centimeter) squares. Store bars in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Bring to room temperature before serving. Store remaining bars in the refrigerator for a few days, or wrap well and freeze.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Diane
Semisweet chocolate is too sweet for the chocolate topping. Use bittersweet chocolate instead. Offsets the sweetness of middle layer. Per 70 yr old recipe I use.
Phillipa Rispin
If you leave out the custard center layer, you’ll still get something that tastes good, but it is NOT a Nanaimo bar. That center layer is a vital component; otherwise, it’s not a Nanaimo bar. Call it something else.
Leslie
Use half the amount of sugar. 2 Tbsp sugar for base. 1 cup conf sugar for middle layer. Also use 2 Tbsp corn starch with 1/4 tsp vanilla instead of custard powder.
ColomboCook
It's easier to combine all the ingredients for the base and bake for 20 minutes at 350 F. Nuts can be omitted (and often are when making for a crowd where allergies are a concern). Instant vanilla pudding is the closest substitute for custard powder but bars can be made by just leaving it out if it's not available. Not quite the same but better than letting an event go by with no Nanaimo bars!
Mary W Walters
"As she closes her lips around the little square, she straightens with surprise, and opens her eyes wide – they just might be the best thing she’s ever tasted in her life. The gold almond-and-graham-cracker crust, the layers of pale yellow custard and rich chocolate hold their own for just a moment before they give in to one another in the warmth of her mouth: dissolving strata of sweet goodness." Rita Just Wants to Be Thin (love them so much I put them in my novel. :) )
Isabel
If you make these, you absolutely must use the Bird’s custard powder. That is the one ingredient that should not be substituted. Trust me, you won’t be sorry. If you can’t find it at your local grocery store, Amazon carries it. Worried that you’ll never use the entire container? Just add sugar and milk, and you can make proper English custard for all those fabulous pie recipes that reside on this app...yum!!!
Karen in Montreal
Use unsweetened chocolate on top, and cut them smaller. These are often part of what's called a 'dainty tray' on the prairies, and it's considered barbaric to cut them bigger than an inch or inch and a quarter. Everyone knows the big ones are from a bakery, the horror!
MRtk
I live in Canada and have known many people who did the middle layer with: 1/4 cup butter, softened 2 cup powdered sugar 3 tablespoons milk 2 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix You basically want the buttercream texture, but a fairly stiff one so that it doesn't squish so much that everything oozes out, and I would think you can likely fiddle with proportions to get it.
YCook
For the past 10 years, I have made pans of these, for Christmas. I have become known for them! My advice - for the base layer, make your own graham cracker crumbs in the food processor. Also, finely chop the nuts and coconut, in the processor and then add back in the graham cracker crumbs and cocoa powder. Press into the pan with a spatula to get a nice flat layer. My recipe uses melted butter and brown sugar, but very similar. High quality chocolate and fresh, salted butter are also necessary
ann gary
Goya Flan Mix! Available almost everywhere. For the custard powder.
Joyce
A couple of hints I find useful. One, if I use the commercial graham cracker crumbs (vs making crumbs from crackers) the bottom is more crumbly. Also it’s better if the coconut is shredded (vs flakes). There smaller is better. With respect to the chocolate layer not cracking while cutting, score the top before the chocolate is completely set. When it IS set, cut along those lines. I score for both regular sized and smaller pieces, because someone ALWAYS wants "just half a piece please".
Emma
Well done NYT Cooking and thanks for treating this treat with respect! A comforting Canadian staple I seek out whenever I go home to Toronto.
KayVR
Birds Custard Powder is available at Shoprite, Krogers, WalMart, Whole Foods, Ralphs, Safeway and (of course) Amazon, at least on-line if not actually on the shelf. (About $$2.50 for 300g, or thereabouts.) Another online source says that an equal amount of cornstarch with some vanilla extract added can be substituted, but I've nothing to substantiate that.
Jen van Ginhoven
I use unsweetened for the top layer. The bitterness of the chocolate goes well with the sweetness of the butter cream layer.
Susan
These bars almost make up for Canadian winters.
93209618
Every time I make these, I have to freeze half to keep from eating them all at once! Having a very sweet tooth, I like to double up on the buttercream layer even though some might call it sacrilege. OK, truth be told, sometimes I *only* make the buttercream and spread it on graham crackers. OK, OK, sometimes I just eat the buttercream with a spoon. Don't judge!
WH
I've made my family's Canadian recipe for decades which used vanilla pudding instead of the custard powder but they've always been way too sweet. So I tried this recipe with custard powder -- so much better! Totally worth it to be the custard powder (which happens to be unsweetened). Result is much less sweet, it's very balanced and delicious. One small issue with this recipe, the base layer is a bit too dry and crumbling.
Chris Y.
Instant pudding mix can also be used as a replacement for custard powder. Simply follow the instructions on the package, substituting milk for water, and add it to your recipe as directed.
M.Pook
Could someone give me the phonetic pronunciation of nanaimo, please? I would like to be able to pronounce this dish properly when serving it to friends. Thanks!
Martin
It's pronounced "nə-NY-moh", where the "ə" is a schwa, like the "a" in "about".
RM
I found that the buttercream layer did not amount to much more than a thin layer atop the base -- maybe 1/4 inch at maximum. Nothing like the picture. I used an 8x8 and followed the ingredient amounts precisely, including using Bird's custard powder. I do not have a stand mixer and used an electric beater instead. Is it possible that I wasn't able to incorporate enough air into the mixture, which is why the volume was lower? The buttercream still tasted great, so I'm sure final product will too.
Maggie
I made a minty version of this by adding a splash of peppermint extract and green food coloring to the buttercream. It was absolutely marvelous. The mint also helps mitigate the sweetness, so it's not as overwhelming. I also used bittersweet chocolate instead of semisweet, and it worked great. I blitzed the graham crackers, nuts, and coconut together in the food processor so that I wouldn't have any long strings of coconut.
Hannah
It took more time than expected and made a lot of dishes but it wasn't hard work and tastes delicious. I used salted butter in all the layers which helps cut the sweetness and bittersweet instead of semisweet chocolate. Pistachios for the nuts, kedem tea biscuits for the graham crackers, and sweetened shredded coconut just to use up what I had. They're very sweet, addictive, and last great in the fridge.
alyson
I had to double the chocolate topping portion to get the right thickness of chocolate to what I’m used to in BC.
Kimiko7474
I made these to the recipe specifics except for the custard powder which I used vanilla pudding for. I think the result was still good and I didn’t have to buy a big jar of custard powder that I’d likely never use again. Semisweet chocolate in crust and topping were sweet and good, I don’t think you need to use bittersweet chocolate but could try if you want to take some sweetness. I found the crust to be VERY thick in an 8x8 but it was the best part in the eating, in my opinion. So good!
e
Make own graham crackers crumbs
Beth
Wow. I have wanted to make these for years, and finally did. Have never had one. Followed the recipe exactly, as a baseline…..and they are SO good! Normally I don’t take anything with nuts or coconut to a potluck, but I have to share these with my friends, so I will be making a double batch this weekend.
Sara
I live in Nanaimo and you absolutely must use Birds Custard powder. Anything else does NOT taste like a Nanaimo bar.
Suzanne Sugar
Could you make this as a pie with graham cracker crust?
michelle
I baked the first layer for 15 minutes at 325.
Gale S
I agree with the person who thinks bittersweet would be better for such a sweet cookie. I used kosher salt on the semi-sweet topping and it helped to offset the sweeter chocolate. I will also double the middle section the next time.
Private notes are only visible to you.
Advertisement
